Fabric suggestions: Light- to medium-weight stretch-knit fabrics, such as cotton elastane jersey, viscose jersey or wool jersey. Check that the fabric can be stretched crosswise at least 25% wider than its original width. For beginners, we recommend selecting a cotton interlock jersey or medium weight cotton-elastane jersey as lighter-weight jerseys are harder to sew.

We recommend that all fabrics to be used for dressmaking are pre-washed to avoid shrinkage so please buy your fabric ahead of the class to allow time for this.

All equipment, interfacing, standard trims and thread are provided in this workshop but you will need to provide your own fabric (please see fabric requirements)

We will take a short break for lunch so please bring food or money to buy lunch in one of the lovely local cafes nearby.

You will find our workshops categorised in to levels. These are to help you know which workshops are suitable for you based on your current amount of experience behind a sewing machine.

Our levels are designed to help you choose a project that isn't too difficult for you, but we encourage you to be brave and try something new too. Talk to us if you need further advice about which level is suitable for you.

Children aged 11+ and teenagers are welcome to attend workshops with an accompanying adult , providing they have either come to our Start as you Mean to Sew on workshop, or a suitable level of experience at home or school.

Level One (beginner)

This covers our Start as you Mean to Sew on workshops, which is designed to build your confidence behind a sewing machine. This workshop is ideal for absolute beginners and those whose sewing skills may be a little rusty.

Level Two (limited experience)

Level two workshops are designed to build your confidence and introduce you to new skills, such as inserting zips, working with bias binding and basic patchwork. They are suitable for people who have completed our beginners workshop or have some recent experience sewing independently.

Level Three (more confident)

Level three workshops are aimed at more confident sewers, who have completed a few projects previously, and also includes our Introduction to Dressmaking workshop. This level is suitable for people who have some experience behind a sewing machine, and want to branch out and try something new.

Level Four (beginner dress making)

Level four workshops are aimed at people with some dressmaking experience, who may have completed our Dressmaking for Beginners course, however, this isn't a necessity. These workshops will cover more challenging dressmaking skills, while aiming to demystify them and build your confidence.

Level Five (experienced dress making)

Level five workshops continue to build on previous dressmaking experience and will offer challenging projects with the support of a experienced teacher. Level five workshops will include garments such as corsets, coats and ball gowns.

Dressmaking - Introduction to Dressmaking Patterns

Simply submit your details and the level you’re at, and we’ll send you all information, workshops and product launches relevant to you. We won’t bombard you, and you can unsubscribe or change your preferences at any time.

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How would you describe yourself?I’m new to crafts and sewing so a bit of a newbieI know a little bit but wouldn’t call myself experiencedI’ve been crafting for a while and am fairly confident